Bye-Bye Boob Juice

Hey there, everybody!! I know it's been a while since we last blogged but it hasn't been for lack of trying. Daddy and I have tried to post multiple times but the website has been SUPER slow and won't load videos. It has taken hours, literally, to load just one short clip of me and frankly, Daddy and I don't have the time to mess with that stff. We have some serious playing to do.

So, we will keep this post short but still give you the lowdown on what I have been up to.

Since we last posted, we got dumped on by snow and Daddy even got to spend a day at home with me because of it. I love that the snow kept Daddy at home so that we could play but I REALLY did not appreciate that snowsuit he put me in so that we could go out and play in it. The snow looks like a blast to play in when Daddy and Tuck are out there wrestling but it sure isn't worth putting on that suit. I'll wait until next year to play in it when I can actually run around. Heck, a girl can't even move in that silly suit. I felt like Ralphie's little brother in the movie "The Christmas Story". It's safe to say, I was less than thrilled.

With all the cold weather and stuff, it shouldn't be a big surprise that Daddy and I came down with a couple of colds. I had to go to the Dr. for mine and it was there that we found out I broke the 20 lbs mark. Can you believe it?! I am one big girl and now Daddy has to find a car seat befit of the young lady that I am. Pumpkin seat, your days are numbered, pal.

I am learning lots of new stuff. I am not walking quite yet but I am standing on my own and Daddy says that I can crawl at the speed of "Oh shoot!!" That just means I move pretty fast. Daddy will put me down for a second to do something like get a drink or let Tuck out and when he turns around, I'm gone. My new favorite places to go are the stereo (I can turn it on, crank the volume, and eject the tape deck and CD changer), the bathroom (that spinny thing with the white paper ribbon stuff is a lot of fun to unravel) and the kitchen (I LOVE tupperware, pots and pans). Daddy does his best to keep all doors shut, floors clean and remotes out of arms reach but I always find something.

Daddy says that I am also finding my voice. I like to babble and my favorite thing to say currently, is "Baby". I tend to make the "a" pretty long and loud and am getting really good at the "b" sound. I am learning stuff all day and if blogspot ever gets their stuff in order, maybe we could post some for you. But trust Daddy when he says, it's pretty cute and super awesome.

Last thing that I wanted to update you all on is my diet. The boob juice is all gone!! I am completely transitioned to whole milk and am loving it. Daddy says the next step is getting me off the bottle and onto sippy cups. That's gonna be a tough one, I think. I sure do love my bottles. I am starting to venture out and try new foods but am pretty hesitant to try new stuff. Just this morning Daddy tried to give me scrambled eggs. No thanks. I didn't try a single bite. That stuff just looked weird. Daddy says he'll keep trying but I am not making any promises that I am gonna like the new stuff.

Well, we hope all is great with you. Please keep in touch and we will try to get this blog/video stuff figured out.

Love to all!!!

Lily

Goundhog's Day

Happy Groundhogs Day everybody! We'll be making the same post tomorrow ;-) Hope that your January went by smoothly and you were able to stay warm. Things remain lively at the Carr house with me learning new things and growing more adventurous everyday. Daddy likes to say I get into a lot of mischief. Like the time I got a hold on the TV remote when the babysitter wasn't paying attention and totally reprogrammed the TV. When Daddy got home, the screen said "No Signal" and was this beautiful shade of blue. He didn't find it as pretty as I did and apparently had to spend a bit of time on the phone with the cable people to figure out how to undo what I was able to do. All is fine with the TV now but I have had my remote privileges revoked. Oh well, there is still the basket full of folded laundry that I get to pull out and make a mess of. Goodtimes!

This past weekend was AWESOME!!! For starters, it was Daddy's 30th birthday and we spent all of Friday night together. We cooked dinner, played on the floor cuddled, and even played with Tucker. It soo much fun playing with that silly dog. Daddy gets down on all fours and acts like a dog and Tucker goes bonkers!! He howls and runs circles around us; being sure not too get too close to me. He and Daddy are like BFFs (stands for Best Friends Forever for all you folks that aren't down with the lingo).

So, you all remember that I recently had my very first birthday. Well, some people didn't know what to get me so they opted for the gift card/check route. And since Daddy needed to train and needed someone to watch me, he had an idea. And boy oh boy, I mean to tell you that he had a WONDERFUL idea! He went and cashed all the checks and arranged for my Aunt Katie and Aunt Cyndi to come pick me up and take me on my very first shopping spree!! OH MY GOODNESS was that FUN!! We went to all sorts of places and scored all sorts of sweet stuff. And even though Daddy isn't a big fan of buying things just to buy them, he said that it's OK to spoil yourself every once in a while. We had soo much fun together and afterwards I was P_O_O_P_E_D, pooped. I napped really well Saturday afternoon.

I got to spend Saturday night at Mimi's house while Daddy got to go out for his birthday. It's soo much fun going to Mimi's. I get pampered there. I get a bath (and for the record, Daddy gives me baths at home, regularly), Mimi clips my nails and even rubs me down with baby lotion. What more could a young lady like myself ask for?! I love it and I love all the time I get to spend with Mimi and Papau.

So there is great news to report on the medical/diet front! I am almost completely off the "boob-juice". Since my last post, we have been slowly moving towards putting more cow's whole milk in my bottle than the "juice". And now, there is only 2oz of boob juice to every 5oz of regular milk. We would transition all the way to milk but still have some donor milk to use up. At a little over $4 per ounce, you can't let that stuff go to waste! And I am not sure if there is a market out there on Ebay for unused breastmilk. Haha, I bet we would get a lot of hits though.

Also, Mimi introduced us to this stuff called "Mish-Mash". Basically, it's pureed vegetables and fruit and is served in a Capri-Sun like container with a built in straw. Now, I have no idea what this Capri-Sun stuff is but Daddy told me that you would know what I was talking about. Whatever it is, I LOVE it!! It is soo sweet and makes for a great snack. Only one problem and Daddy calls it the "Mish-Mash Factor". The stuff runs right through me and before you know it, it's time for a diaper change. It may get a bit messy at times but it is totally worth it.

Then the biggest news of the weekend is that I had my dedication on Sunday. I know, you are probably wondering what the heck a "dedication" is. Well, it's kinda like a baptism but without the water. You see, Daddy and Mommy were always committed to raising me in a way that they thought would be God honoring but wanted to leave the decision to be baptized up to me. So a dedication is simply that. Daddy and I stood up there in fron of a WHOLE bunch of people and he promised to raise me and love me the way that God would have him do. I think his doing a swell job. If I do say so myself;-)

I am not walking on my own yet but it is only a matter of time. I do however weigh close to 18 pounds and have really closed the gap on all the other "full-termers" that are my age. Daddy says he knew that I would do wonderfully playing catch-up. But speaking of walking, the American Heart Association is having the annual Cincinnati Heart Mini-Marathon on March 27 and Daddy and I have started a team in Mommy's honor. It is called "Party for Marty" because Daddy says that Mommy was always the life of the party and brought a special joy to whatever the occasion. You might remember that Daddy ran the race last year while I was still in the NICU and that he promised that the next time around, he would be running with me. Well, the time has come and we are looking for teammates!! Now, don't think you have to be a runner. Even though Daddy is going to run the 15k, he says that he will finish with plenty of time so that we can do the 5k walk with everyone on the team. So, please go out to the website: http://www.heartmini.org/ , do a team search for "Party for Marty" and join the team. I sure hope that you ALL come out and join the party. It's gonna be a blast!!!

Well, I am off to catch some ZZZzzzz's. Sorry there is no video, I haven't been cooperating with Daddy when it comes to shooting video. He says that it seems that by the time he gets the camera out when I am doing something cute, I stop. Well, we will try to just post a video here in the next couple of days. We'll even give the assignment to shoot some good video to all my babysitters.

Keep on rockin y'all. Love you all sooo.....

-Lily